About crossWAN
The underlying client/server architecture in Across makes it possible for you to access the data stored on the central Across Server at any time and with the complete range of Across functionalities if you are working on a company network (LAN: Local Area Network).
If you are an external employee, working outside of the company network, you have several different access options (the 'crossWAN' modes):
Mode | Across Client | Description |
crossWAN Online | Online Client | functions like a LAN client |
crossWAN Load | Offline Client | No permanent connection to the server or none at all; rather, they use wizards to exchange the relevant data packages. |
crossWAN Classic | Offline Client |
crossWAN load and crossWAN classic are functionally combined in Across and can therefore be used alternately: Depending on the available infrastructure and Internet connection, tasks can either be downloaded from the Across Server (crossWAN load) and imported another time in the form of CWU (Client Working Unit) files (crossWAN classic).
Offline users cannot execute any project management functions (project management and document preparation tasks) and cannot perform term extractions. However, they can perform all other task types (term and document translation, correction and review tasks).
When a task is sent back to an Across Server, the system will not only transmit the crossTank and crossTerm entries that were modified or newly created while processing the respective task to the Across Server. Rather, all crossTank and crossTerm entries that were modified or newly created while processing all tasks assigned to you by the respective Across Server will be transmitted. This applies to the crossTank and crossTerm entries in the language combinations that concern the task to be transmitted. For example, if the task to be transmitted to the Across Server consists of the translation of a source text in the language combination German-English, only the crossTank and crossTerm entries in the language combination German-English will be transmitted, but not those in the language combination German-French.
Wizards for Data Transmission
The Retrieve Task Wizard enables users to download relevant data (crossWAN load). After downloading the data to the local workstation, the translator can disconnect from the Internet and start working in Across. Alternatively, the data can also be exchanged between the Across Server and Client without an Internet connection (crossWAN classic): the data are made available in the form of Client Working Units (CWU) on a suitable data medium (e.g. a USB stick), by e-mail, or by an FTP download and are manually imported by the Across Client.
The counterpart to the Retrieve Task Wizard is the Deliver Task Wizard, which assists you in transmitting the results of your work to the Across Server. For this, too, you only need an Internet connection during the data transfer. Alternatively, the data can be exchanged between the Client and the Across Server in the form of Client Response Units (CRU).
Apart from these wizards, which basically provide a basis for the translation process, translating via the Internet is the same as translating locally on the company network.
The synchronization of data between the Across Server and a offline user is subject to certain limitations. For example, abbreviations and the contents of the change history are not transmitted. The contents of the user-defined dictionary are only transmitted to the offline user, but not from the offline user to the Across Server.